Putting: The Most Important Part of Your Golf Game

Maybe you have heard of the saying “Drive for show, putt for dough.” Well, not only does this little phrase have a catchy ring to it, it also offers a valuable insight to the game of golf.

While big drivers of the golf ball may garner most of the attention, the game most often comes down to what you can do with the flat stick. Often the putter is the difference between making a birdie or saving a par, which can have a huge impact on your round.

And when it comes to the short game, nothing is more important than repetition and practice. You have to get a feel for how much force must be placed on the ball to get it to travel a specific distance. If you lose your feel, then your putting game will surely suffer as a result. For those who live in a climate with a cold season, then you may find that each spring you have to start from square one in terms of getting your putting feel back.

A simple and easy way to practice your putting year round is to purchase an indoor putting green. Indoor putting greens are generally made from a synthetic material that mimics the feel of bentgrass, which is used on the majority of golf courses in the States.

By offering a similar roll, indoor putting greens allow for players cooped up during the winter to retain their putting stroke giving them an edge over the competition when they return to the golf course in the spring.

At the end of this article, we have a brief explanation of our favorite putting tool: Aimpoint Express. This is a novel and objective way to read greens and will help you sink more putts consistently.

1.) Tour Links Putting Training Aid

Overall: (4.5 / 5)

Tour Links Putting Training Aid is a bit of a different animal than the other indoor putting greens that we are reviewing on this list. The goal of the Tour Links is to allow for golfers to practice alignment and putting the ball straight consistently, which will result in making more putts during your actual rounds.

This Tour Links Putting Green is available in three different sizes: 7 feet, 9 feet, and a massive 13 feet. With each Tour Links Putting Green you get an alignment string that will hover above your ball and putter and attach to the pin. This visual gives players the ability to check their alignment and putting stroke with greater clarity.

Other alignment tools that come with this putting green include a stroke blocker that keeps you from swinging the putter too far outward, which can result in putts that are pushed out to the right. Contour pads are also included and make adding break to your putts easy. A foot stand allows for players to be completely even with the putting surface making for a more realistic feel.

The coolest added feature to the Tour Links Putting Green is the cup reducing ring. This little tool shrinks the hole making it even more difficult to hole your putts!

2.) Big Moss Golf Augusta Putting Green

Overall: (4 / 5)

Big Moss has created a really nice indoor putting green with the “Augusta”.

Great for both chipping and putting, this indoor putting green is made from a synthetic material that is practically indestructible and offers the feel of a down grain bentgrass green. This allows for putting to roll smoothly and consistently so that you know what you are getting when you putt on this Big Moss.

This indoor putting green also comes with “break snakes” that fit under the putting surface so that you can practice an almost infinite amount of breaks during your practice session. This makes this green have a more realistic performance as most putts are not straight and do have either left to right or right to left break in them. The Big Moss Augusta measures 4 feet by 12 feet.

What we like most about the Big Moss Putting Green is that you can putt and chip on this unit, which will help not only your putting, but your all-around short game during the off season months.

3.) StarPro Professional Practice Green

Overall: (4.25 / 5)

StarPro Professional Practice Green is our third entry for the best indoor putting green. This putting green has more holes (five) than any of the other three indoor putting greens that made our list. This gives players multiple angles and distances to hit from, which makes for a more dynamic experience.

To keep the green flat, StarPro uses a “Starball” mechanism that stops the ball in the hole and performs similarly to real golf holes.

Unfortunately, this green does not come with any break blocks and it is up to the owner to fill up freezer bags with sand to recreate green breaks.

Moving on to the green surface, the StarPro uses a “Pro-Am” turf that works to mimic the feel and speed of bentgrass. This material is quality, but is meant strictly to be used indoors. So, if you want a putting green that can be used inside and out, then we recommend considering another putting green.

We feel that the StarPro’s biggest strength is the number of holes on the green, and the fact that with your purchase you will get instructions to play five different putting games!

4.) SKLZ Accelerator Pro Golf Putting Mat

Overall: (3.5 / 5)

The lowest priced option on our list, the SKLZ Accelerator Pro Golf Putting Mat is the best value option of our four choices of the best indoor putting green. This putting mat offers 3, 5, and 7 foot markers so you can practice from each of these common distances with confidence.

There are also alignment marks at each of these distances as well to make sure your putter stroke is on point.

Our biggest negative for this putting mat is the uphill slope that leads to the hole, which then returns the ball back to the user. While the ball retriever can be convenient, the uphill nature of the hole can make the feel of this putting green off compared to the real thing.

At around $40, this putting green is best for those who want to practice their putting without spending much money. While it is the best value putting green that we’ve seen, it is still recommended by us at ListofFit for golfers with the budget to invest in a higher priced model as you will likely be happier overall with your purchase.

ListofFit Best Pick: Tour Links Putting Training Aid

Tour Links has really put together a great product with their putting training aid. We love the alignment line and cup reducing ring, which directly impact how you view putting and will improve your overall stroke. This putting green also has the most realistic putting material out of the four greens we tested. It really does roll true and consistent, similar to what you would expect on greens at a quality country club course.

Another feature that helps to make the Tour Links Putting Training Aid superior to other choices is the fact that it is all-weather. This means that not only can you use this putting green indoors during cold months, but also outside during the golfing season!

Furthermore, testers preferred the Tour Links design with an elevated green and foot stool so that you can have an actual golf hole on a level putting surface. Cheaper indoor putting greens tend to have a hole that is elevated with a flat mat that can make for a less realistic putting experience.

Overall, if you can afford it, the Tour Links Putting Aid is a great choice.

Factors Considered in Best Indoor Putting Green Ratings

Materials

As many golfers are aware, the most important material for indoor putting greens is the actual putting surface quality. If the putting green you have at your home does not roll in a similar fashion to actual greens at the course then what’s the point of having the indoor green in the first place?

Those who are interested in buying an indoor putting green should also think about the extras the come with the green. In particular, look for putting mats that have break blocks so that you can practice breaking putts. Another factor to consider is the size of the putting surface. Obviously, it is generally better to have a larger putting surface as this allows you to practice longer putts.

Value

Indoor putting greens range wildly in price. In fact, The Only Green luxury indoor putting green starts at a price of $4,000, but these are mostly purchased by hotels, golf clubs, and businesses. For the rest of us, most putting greens range in price from over $1,000 to about $20. When looking at the value of an indoor putting green see the size, material quality, and features that come with each green.

Performance

Performance of a putting green comes down to how well the mat imitates the features and feel of a real green. The first question during the testing process to ask is, “Does the ball roll on this material the same way it does on a green?” If not, then you likely will not improve greatly by using the putting green as the feel for putting that you build will not translate to the golf course.

Another measure of performance is if the hole on the putting green is level with the rest of mat. Cheaper putting greens tend to have a flat mat area and an elevated golf hole, which throws off the performance of the green. Generally, look to pay a bit more for a putting green where the whole mat and golf hole is level so that the putting feel for each distance putt is the same for both the putting mat and golf course putting green.

Why Selecting a Quality Putting Green Matters

There is no easier way to save strokes during your round than improving your putting. By becoming a better putter you will see your scores drop in a hurry. The nice thing about putting is that it is also one of the easiest areas of the golf game that can be enhanced. Simply practice your alignment, break reading, and distance control to see significant results.

But where do you practice your putting? Most of us are not lucky (or rich) enough to live by a golf course, so walking out to a green is out of the equation.

Some golfers will practice their putting on the carpet in their house, but residential carpet does not roll anything like a true green. The truth of the matter is that most of us who want to practice putting will need to pick up an indoor putting green for our home or backyard.

But not all putting greens are created equal. Low cost putting greens often only allow for straight flat putting that does not resemble putting on a golf course in the slightest. A high quality more expensive mat generally has a truer roll and will also have blocks or other tools to recreate breaks on your putts. This is incredibly important when you are having trouble with reading greens.The landing place of the link

Aimpoint: A Way to Make More Putts Immediately

Adam Scott has used AimPoint with success.

Here’s something every amateur golfer should know: chances are you seriously under-read your putts. By under-reading putts you are leaving more birdies on the course, and keeping yourself from achieving lower scores. The problem with most green reading technique is that they have some level of subjectivity involved. Most commonly you will crouch and eyeball the green to see how the green moves, however this tells you little about what the putt really requires.

What you need is a putting technique that is purely objective, and this is where AimPoint Express comes in.

Here’s the gist. First, you will stand at the mid-point between your ball and the hole with your feet spread wider than shoulder width. Second, feel with your feet and rate the break on a scale of 0-5, with 0 being a flat putt, and a five being the most severe slope. Third, go back behind your golf ball and put up the corresponding number of fingers to your slop rating that you got from your feet on the side of the hole the putt will break towards. So, if you have a putt that breaks left to right and is rated a 3, then you will put your three fingers together on the left side of the hole. The edge of your farthest finger from the hole is your aim point, and where you should aim your putt for the proper break. Only keep one eye open during the finger aiming exercise to get an accurate aim point.

By doing this you will have a go-to method that will work objectively every time. You’ll also become better at this method over time so be sure to practice this method often to get the hang of how to rate each break. Good luck, and enjoy making more putts!